Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Texas—A beloved albino squirrel has gone to gather nuts from that big tree in the sky, leaving thousands of University of North Texas students to mourn its passing.In its two short years, the unnamed pure white creature with pink eyes brought luck to students who spotted it before exams, said graduate student T.J. Zambrano, 25, president of UNT’s Albino Squirrel Preservation Society. But misfortune frowned on the squirrel Aug. 21 when a hawk swooped down on it.“The poor little guy stuck out like a sore thumb,” Zambrano said.Students reminisced at a service near the Student Union Building, the squirrel’s favorite scampering spot, university officials said.“Some students saw the hawk and tried to shoo it away, but it was too late,” Zambrano said. “Some animal control people took the body away.“The squirrel wasn’t shy, and people constantly fed him. He had a good life.”This is the second albino squirrel that has lived on campus, he said. The first, Thelonius, inspired the founding of the preservation society in 2002 and vanished in 2003.“We can only hope Mother Nature will bring us another albino squirrel,” Zambrano said.

Furball FactsIf a squirrel has taken up residence in your attic or crawl space, the only practical way to deal with the issue is sell your house and not mention it to the new buyers.A squirrel has sweaty feet. The sweat glands of a tree squirrel are located on their feet, between the foot pads and on their paws between the toes. When hot or excited a squirrel will change socks twice a day.The male tree squirrel takes twice as long, as the female, to groom itself. They are so vane they will not show up at the bird feeder until every whisker is in place.The most common type of squirrel bite is a result of feeding a squirrel by hand. Never hold the food between your fingers. Always balance food on your head and let the squirrel forage for it on his own. The worse thing that can happen is you will lose an ear.

GNAWTY NEWS

It’s almost winter and squirrels are looking for a place to spend the winter. And it’s a whole lot warmer in a $250,000.00 house than up a tree.Squirrels are the challenge of bird-feeding. But their incisor-edged impact ranges beyond sunflower seeds. The tree-climbing rodents chew into homes, storage buildings, insulation and electrical wires. Want to save energy—let a squirrel spend the winter in your attic. By spring, nothing will turn on or light up. It will reduce your electric bill to zero.Squirrels can take real advantage of nut and fruit trees. At least deer are limited by how high they can reach. A furball can climb all the way to the top and to the very end of the branches.The rule of thumb for relocation is a half-mile or more. Some squirrels have been moved around so much they have frequent flier miles.George Seros of Marietta, Georgia decided he didn’t want to share any pecans with his squirrels. He live trapped several on his acreage and moved them all the same day. He was taking a weekend trip to the mountains around Helen, Georgia so he loaded his motorhome with his merry band of furballs. Before he even made it to the city limits the squirrels had escaped from the cage and it became obvious they did not like traveling. As it turned out one of his captives was a flying squirrel. They were bouncing off the motorhome walls like a set of live billiard balls on a bumper table.George discovered the jail-break when a gray squirrel ran up his leg, across his face and exited his shoulder. That’s also when George put his motorhome in the median—sideways. He opened his driver door and three squirrels followed him out. The others were too confused. It took George as long to coax the rest of his squirrelly neighbors out of the motorhome as it did to explain the whole mess to the Georgia State trooper.

Attack SquirrelsFirst is was alligators attacking people in Florida and now a rash of squirrel attacks in Silcon Valley, California. Kids and parents are freaking out in Mountain View, as the squirrels in Cuesta Park go on the attack! Over the last three months, three people have been bitten by the aggressive rodents, which are becoming desperate for food after the installation of anti-squirrel trash cans in the park.Jennifer Packard’s 4-year-old son was their latest victim. As she unwrapped a muffin during a picnic last week, a brown tree squirrel pounced on her son, Andrew, biting and scratching as he ran screaming through the park, then hanging on as he rolled desperately in the grass.Andrew is undergoing rabies shots, and now tells everyone the squirrel was trying to eat him.

Squirrel VandalsAfter many U.S. flags marking Veterans’ graves were disappearing from a cemetery in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, groundskeepers suspected vandals.What they discovered were that the thieves were tiny and covered with fur. Groundskeepers thought kids were stealing them... but while one of the groundskeepers was mowing the grass, he noticed something red and blue high in the tree—it was a giant squirrel nest made of ripped and tattered flags. He thinks the squirrels conducted their operation at night or very early in the morning when no one was around.

Suicide squirrel in opera-hating kamikaze bike spoke mangleHELSINKI (DNN)—A squirrel scampered into the bicycle wheel of an unlucky Finnish opera singer, causing him to fall, knock himself out and break his nose just ahead of the world premiere of a new opera.Esa Ruuttunen was pedaling his way to the Helsinki Opera House last month when the squirrel ran into his spokes.The singer ended up concussed and in a local hospital, rather than at his rehearsals for the Finnish opera Kaarmeen hetki (Hour of the Serpent), which opens on September 15.“He is not yet singing in rehearsals, but thinks he will be able to perform at the world premiere,” Finnish National Opera spokeswoman Heidi Almi told Reuters.The squirrel died in the accident.I’m sure if the squirrel could sing loud and strong he would have gotten a bit more than a one sentence mention in this story.The squirrel - apparently not an opera fan—ran headlong at the spokes. Alarmed, the bicycling bass baritone hit the skids.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Step 1:Bird Feeder Placement—Squirrels will typically jump up to ten feet to get to a bird feeder. When placing your bird feeder, try to keep it at least 10 feet away from fences, trees or anything else a squirrel could jump from. Placement is the first consideration, and is often overlooked when considering squirrel proofing!Step 2:Pole Mounted Feeders—Make sure your bird feeder is five feet above the ground. Use a Squirrel Baffle on the pole and under the feeder. There are many types to choose from including dome types, torpedo types and even some that "wrap around" the poles, which is especially important when using a "shepherd type" pole with a permanent hooked end. Pole mounted domes may also help thwart other predators such as cats from getting to the birds. If you use a baffle, the "floating" styles that tip on the pole seem to work best.Step 3:Hanging Feeders—Hang your feeder 10 feet away from trees and fences and 5 feet off the ground. Use a hanging type squirrel baffle above the feeder to make it more difficult for the squirrel to get to the feeder. When hanging, consider your ability to fill and clean your feeder on a regular basis.Step 4:Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders Designs—There are now many new bird feeders made to deter squirrels. They can be broken down into several basics types: 1)Cage Type—They come with a metal cage around the feeder 2)Spring Loaded Type—These either slide down or close down by reacting to the squirrel’s weight on the feeding perches 3)Motorized Type—Some begin to spin to throw the squirrel off, which again react to a squirrel’s weight 4)Roller Type—These roll over when a squirrel get on the feeder to get the squirrel off 5)Collapsible Perch Type—Some of these can even be adjusted to deter several large bags such as Grackles. Choose the best squirrel resistant bird feeder that fits your budget. One good feeder will outlast many less expensive ones!Step 5:If you can’t beat ‘em…..…Join ‘em! Sometimes it is better to feed squirrels in a different area of your yard, and feed them something they prefer to eat. Commercially made squirrel feeders are available, and squirrels love cob corn and pumpkin seed, and many specially made squirrel feeds are available including suet cakes, squirrel foods, compressed corn logs, and others. Pinwheel type feeders and bouncing feeders are available to make watching the squirrels eat an enjoyable and entertaining experience, instead of a dreaded nightmare!

About Me

Writer, backpacker. Live in a 30 ft. motorhome. I do go home to Traverse City once a year to mow the lawn. If I don't, it should fall over when it gets tall enough. I want to retire but my wife Gaila says I have to have a job first, what a killjoy. --Keep Smilin'